But don’t try to cut out all the sugar all at once — going cold turkey has its own health ramifications.

Tanya Leung, a dietitian at St. Paul’s Hospital, says a better strategy is weaning yourself off added sugar one step at a time.

“If you love chocolate milk, start off by mixing it three parts to one part real milk, and then move down from there,” suggests Leung. “It’s a habit that’s difficult to change because sugar is in so many different foods.

Dietitian Patricia Chuey says people find it difficult to cut out certain foods — she suggests simply eating more of the healthy choices, leaving less hunger for sweets.

“Rather than saying, ‘I’m going to eat less of this,’ which is hard, say ‘I’m going to eat more of that,’ says Chuey, whose top sugar-laced foods to avoid are pop/fake juice, chocolate and candy, cookies, doughnuts and dessert. “If you have a cookie recipe that calls for one cup of sugar, try using just a half a cup instead.”

Self-confessed dietary “curmudgeon” Dr. John Sloan — an MD who teaches at the University of B.C. — says eating is one of life’s great pleasures, so he sees no need to cut out so-called bad foods.

“Cutting out sugar might add weeks or perhaps months to your life, but that’s at the end of your life when you’re stuck in a home somewhere,” said Sloan, who’s lived to the age of 67 despite his unorthodox views. “I want to eat bacon and eggs, I want to eat doughnuts, I want to eat McNuggets — and I do.”

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